NEW YORK CITY

Who among us is so bold to write a blog about new york city? you would need a set of encyclopedias or even a library...where would you even start? volume one might be central park. There could be a whole volume on the subway and whether people and/or werewolves live down there. then a volume on the food which would have a few pages on Katz's deli, knishes and DWHD (dirty water hot dogs). i'm going to tell you about something that maybe you haven't seen or visited--THE HIGH LINE. the high line is a park built on a elevated freight line from the 1930's. there is a whole history, some great views and some landscaping that is worth seeing. check it out! for more information, including where it is, go to their website at www.thehighline.com

SMALL TOWN

in my tribute to small town america, let me introduce you to clayton, a small town in the san francisco bay area,   in what bay area residents call the east bay.     it is about 35 miles from san francisco. clayton is the type of place that has a town-wide pancake breakfast on the 4th of july. a breakfast that i recommend. 'downtown' is very nice. there are a couple of nice restaurants, a park, and a saloon. perhaps the nicest thing about clayton is that it is located at the bas of mt. diablo. if you're a hiker, don't miss these trails. if you're not, you can drive to the top and check out the stars

WHERE THE RIVER BENDS

so, yes, there are dozens of music festivals across the world. I'm just glad i finally got to go to one....Riverbend 2009. While I expected to be slammed by one hillbilly band after another, I was treated to a nice mix of music. We started out with Willie Nelson, whose first words were "whiskey river, save my soul." I think I was an instant convert to country music at that point. The next night was Train. I also enjoyed the Wailers and the B-52s. The end of the festival was marked by a fireworks show that tingled my spine and lit up the Tennessee river. Perhaps the best part of Riverbend is the city that hosts it--Chattanooga. Don't forget to get a moon pie and some RC Cola when you're there, and I reccomend a stop at Aretha Frankensteins for some pancakes...

DONT FORGET BERKELEY

Millions of people visit the bay area every year, but in their haste to get to get to the fabulous city of San Francisco, i'm afraid they miss out on their kind sister to the east--Berkeley. Berkeley is just across the bay and can be easily reached by subway. everyone has heard of UC Berkeley--either for its sports or its academics. the campus is worth the trip in itself. San Francisco has Coit tower, Berkeley has the Campanile, completed in 1914, it stands 307 feet high, and not only does it provide a beautiful view of the area, but a bell concert three times a day during spring and fall. San Francisco has Haight street. Berkeley has its own lovable Telegraph Avenue, where you can find shopping, food and lots of students.

Berkeley is re-known for its cuisine and its liberal attitude. it has its own Psychic institute, where you can get your aura cleansed or your palm read. Try walking around or taking the bus. You will always find something new and interesting in Berkeley

destination wedding

when i think destination wedding, i think of warm sand between my toes. my classy sister and her husband however are skiers, so they think of cold. if you're thinking of a cold classy place to go, think robert redford's sundance resort in utah. not only is it a village of bungalows gathered around a restaurant, a bar, a gift shop and a ski slope, the service is great. the staff will usher you around in their fleet of white SUVs. once, i couldn't remember which room i was in, a young man walked out of the back room and say "hi. you're in 34C, right?" and then he drove me there. the closest thing i had to a celebrity sighting was when my waiter said to me, "matthew perry ordered the same thing." i think it was pork, and it was delicious. the ceremony took place in a beautiful wooden building with huge windows overlooking a small lake. luminaries lit the paths running through the woods. classy. so i guess what i'm saying is, if you like to ski and get married and you have money, go to the sundance resort. i'm going to try to get my sister and her husband to write his/her versions of the honeymoon.

WELCOME...

Hi. my name is john. welcome to my new travel blog, JAVELLE. let me tell you how i got the name. originally, i was going to call it JTravel, bu then i decided i would exchange the 'tr' with a j and i got JAVEL. then i ealized i could put an 'le' on the end and juice it up a little   JAVELLE.

at this point (its inception), i am the only writer, so if you see an entry without a byline, its me. eventually, i will invite others to write an entry. their entries will have bylines